St Nicholas, Iford, Sussex

Feature Sets (2)

Description

This church has a single nave, a central tower (probably built over the original chancel) and a chancel with a vestry on its N side. The chancel, tower and N aisle were added to a simple two-cell building in the late 12thc. century. The N aisle has been demolished and the N wall rebuilt. The church was restored in 1868 and again in 1874.

History

In 1086 Iford, in the Rape of Lewes, was held by William of Warenne in lordship and had a church.

Features

Interior Features

Arches

Tower/Transept arches

Tower arches

Central tower, E arch

The W face of the arch has plain jambs, imposts and a roll on the face of the archivolt. The E face is plain.

Central tower, W arch

The W face of the arch is of one order, comprising engaged nook shafts with double-scallop capitals, imposts with a very shallow chamfer, and an arch with a single row of hyphenated chevron, and a plain roll, on the face. The E face of the arch is plain, but one springer (N) is carved with a roll.

Comments/Opinions

The ground-floor chamber of the central tower is actually the mid-12thc. chancel.

According to the VCH, the jambs of the W arch of the tower were originally plain, but were cut with nook shafts 'in modern times' (VCH (vol VII), 56, with ref to AJ, vi, 140).